Brighton & Hove Albion Among Nearly 200 Businesses Named And Shamed For Not Paying The Minimum Wage

Between them, the 198 companies named owed £466,219 to employeses

Football clubs, a luxury spa and a posh country pub in David Cameron’s constituency have all been named and shamed for not paying the minimum

The business were part of a list of almost 200 companies released by the Government today who owed their workers almost half a million pounds in unpaid wages.

Among those companies listed is Championship club Brighton & Hove Albion, which owed £2,861.64 to 1 worker and League 2 side Blackpool, which had to pay £517.88 to 1 worker.

Formby Hall Golf Resort & Spa in Merseyside, which charges £185 for a night in one of its executive rooms, was also found guilty of not paying the minimum wage - which is £5.30 per hour for 18 to 20-year-olds and £6.70 for over 21s.

It had to pay £1,047.00 to 1 worker.

The Chequers, in Chipping Norton, located in Cameron’s constituency of Witney in Oxfordshire owed £1,190.68 to 1 worker.

Business Minister Margot James said: “This Government is determined to build an economy that works for everyone, not just the privileged few.

“That means making sure everyone gets paid the wages they are owed – including our new, higher, National Living Wage. It is not acceptable that some employers fail to pay at least the minimum wage their workers are entitled to.

“So we’ll continue to crack down on those who ignore the law, including by naming and shaming them.”

In a statement, Brighton and Hove Albion claimed the indiscretion came about because the club were "over generous in paying the expenses of an individual on work experience placement at the club two years ago."

The club then suspended its work experience programme after being censured by the tax office.

A spokesperson said: "As a business we feel our reputation as a responsible employer has been very unfairly tarnished. We are one of the few clubs who pays its staff over and above the national living wage.

"Unfortunately, in light of this, we are now more risk averse in terms of offering work experience opportunities. This means we are unable to give as many valuable on-the-job work experience opportunities to those looking to further their careers or break into this highly competitive industry."

Since the name and scheme was introduced in October 2013, 688 employers have been publicly embarrassed, and more than £3.5 million has been paid to workers.

The latest list – the tenth since the scheme was launched – only includes business caught not paying the minimum wage, and does not take into account the National Living Wage, introduced in April

The current minimum wage rates are:

National Living Wage (25 years and over) - £7.20 per hour

adult rate of National Minimum Wage (21 years and over) - £6.70 per hour